Greens are London's biggest winners as Labour plunges to fifth in suburbs

Labour suffered a humiliating rout in the European elections as it was pushed into fifth places in dozens of areas around Britain - although it clung on to second in London.

In the south-east and south-west, Labour was left trailing behind the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, the UK Independence Party and the Greens.

In the capital it finished fifth in Richmond, as well as in a string of suburbs and commuter communities including Epsom and Ewell, Elmbridge, Epping Forest, Guildford, Woking, Wokingham, Bracknell, West Berks, Wycombe, and Windsor & Maidenhead.

Labour saw its support in the capital fall 3.5 per cent to 21.3 per cent, which amid the dismal results from other regions was seen as a crumb of comfort.

The Tories nudged up 0.6 per cent to gain 27.4 per cent, with the Lib-Dems third on 13.7, down 1.6 per cent.

The Greens were the biggest winners among the established parties, up 2.5 per cent to 10.9, while UKIP lost 1.6 per cent, falling to 10.8 per cent.

Despite concerns that London voters would turn to the British National Party, the far-Right party took just 4.9 per cent - up 0.9 per cent but not the breakthrough many feared.

The Conservatives kept three MEPs and Labour was left with two, losing one as the number of MEPs in London was cut from nine to eight, while the Lib-Dems, Greens and UKIP each ended up with one.

Labour MEP Claude Moraes said: "I am personally delighted that Londoners rejected the BNP but we cannot be complacent and must keep working to ensure that they are kept out."

Conservative MEP Dr Charles Tannock said the election moved the party a step closer to being in power nationally.

The Tories had the most votes in all but one English region and pushed Labour into second in Wales, the first time it had lost in the Principality since 1922, its vote dropping 12 per cent.

Labour was beaten by the Conservatives and UKIP across Britain and only managed to just stay ahead of the Lib-Dems, by 15.3 per cent compared to 13.9 per cent, with 63 out of 69 seats declared.

In the south-east, where Labour won crucial backing for its 1997 victory, it was fifth in Ashford, Banstead, Eastborne and Lewes. The Conservatives again took four of the 10 seats after coming in a strong first. UKIP kept its two seats after coming second.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage said: "Here we are in a national election coming second and that is an extraordinary result that does send a clear message that Gordon Brown's time is up."

In the south-west the Tories gained one seat to three as Labour lost its only one, while UKIP maintained its two, as did the Lib-Dems their one.

Labour slumped to fifth in areas across East Anglia and the midlands. Its vote also dropped across the north-west and Yorkshire as the BNP took two seats from it.

Labour topped the poll in the north-east, but was outpolled in Scotland by the SNP.

In Fife, the home turf of the Prime Minister, Labour squeaked ahead of the SNP by a 200-vote margin.

TORIES

Dr Charles Tannock, 51. A former consultant psychiatrist and lecturer at University College Hospital.Member of cross-party groups working on epilepsy, cervical cancer and mental illness. Before being elected MEP in 1999, he was a Kensington and Chelsea councillor. He had to give up his medical practice on taking office in Brussels. A graduate of Balliol College, Oxford.

Syed Kamall, 42.Once touted as a potential London mayoral candidate, he was a Tory candidate for the Greater London Assembly in 2000 and a Conservative candidate for West Ham in the 2001 general election. As an MEP he has called on the Government to introduce British Summer Time in winter in an attempt to cut road accidents and boost leisure activities.

Marina Yannakoudakis, 53.A new selection to the European Parliament.Mrs Yannakoudakis will have to juggle the day job with being a mother of three, school governor and keen saxophonist who also produce sculptures which are donated to charity. She is a Barnet councillor, most recently chairing the authority's greener transport committee.

LABOUR

Claude Moraes, 43.Committed anti-racism campaigner. Has backed calls for social networking sites such as Facebook to ban groups set up in support of the British National Party. First elected to the European Parliament for London in 1999 and former director of Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants working on refugee cases.

Mary Honeyball, 56.Labour spokesperson for women's rights in Europe. Has spoken out against "sexist" cosmetic surgery adverts on the Tube and criticised university beauty pageants. First elected to European Parliament in 2000 after 30 years working for the party. Ms Honeyball has been a councillor in Barnet and a school governor.

LIB-DEMS

Sarah Ludford, 58.A life peer and an MEP since 1999. She is noted for campaigning against the discharge of raw sewage into the Thames and for opposing Heathrow's third runway. She was an Islington councillor for eight years until 1999. A graduate of the LSE and a trained barrister.

GREENS

Jean Lambert, 59.One of the UK's two Green MEPs. A secondary school teacher by training and a member of the UK Green Party since 1977. As an MEP she tabled a motion to take action against the Government for London's poor air quality. Her stated special interests include refugee rights, anti-discrimination and social inclusion.

UKIP

Gerard Batten, 55.The party's first London Member of the European Parliament. He was also the party's candidate in the mayoral election last year. Mr Batten hit the headlines following the death of the former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. He had met the Russian several times and said Mr Litvinenko had been warned that his life was in danger shortly before he fell ill.